World Trade Organization says global trade could slide this year because of Trump's tariff policies

16th April 2025

The World Trade Organization (WTO) has stated that the volume of global trade in goods is expected to decrease by 0.2% this year.

This decline is attributed to U.S. President Donald Trump's shifting tariff policies and ongoing trade tensions with China.

The WTO also warned that if the most severe tariffs are implemented, the decline could be even steeper

The WTO based its report on the tariff situation as of Monday. Initially, 2025 and 2026 were expected to have continued expansion of world trade, but Trump's trade war forced WTO economists to substantially downgrade their forecast, the forum said.